Kuttner was taken into custody by the Metropolitan police on 2 August. It is thought he was orginally arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and on suspicion of corruption contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. He was bailed until the end of the month.

Scotland Yard is conducting two separate investigations into alleged payments by the News of the World to police officers and into allegations of widespread phone hacking at the Sunday title, which was closed down by its owner News International last month.

Kuttner was at the News of the World for more than two decades and became the public face of the paper during his latter years there, before resigning in 2009. He appeared on television occasionally to defend the paper's methods and its journalism.

A Met spokesman said: "The 71-year-old man was arrested on 2 August and bailed to a date in August and he has now been bailed to a date in September."

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